John VIII Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (born 1390)

John VIII Palaiologos

Byzantine emperor from 1425 to 1448

John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus was the penultimate Byzantine emperor. Ruling from 1425 to 1448, he attempted to bring about the reunification of the Orthodox and Catholic churches and prioritized the protection of Constantinople against the Ottoman Empire. He was succeeded…